Gl johnston



(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

G. JOHNSTON. CENTRAL BUFFER AND COUPLING.

No. 584,116. Patented June '8, 1897.

wmuwnm WWW 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

G. JOHNSTON. CENTRAL BUFFER AND COUPLING. No. 584,116. Patented June8,1897.

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3 Sheets Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

CENTRAL B STON.

AND COUPLING.

Patented Jun 8,1897.

\fE im 21f 5555 a? a UNITED STATES PATENT FFTQEQ GEORGE JOHNSTON, OFLIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

CENTRAL BU FFER AND COU PLING.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,116, dated June 8,1897'.

Application filed June 25,1896. Serial No. 596,895. (No model.) Patentedin England J 2 1 ,1l -12fl'70- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE JOHNSTON, a subjectof the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating toCentral Buffers and Couplings, (forwhich I have received Letters Patentin England, dated J unc 25, 1395, No. 12,270,) of which the following isa specification.

Thisinvention has for its object an arrangement of central buffer andcoupling in one, which shall automatically couple up, and in which thebuffer is capable of turningon its axis, so as to facilitate the buffersof adjacent carriages remaining in line,whereby the buding action isdistributed over the whole face of the buffer whether the vehicles aretraveling in a straight line or on a curve.

The invention will be understood from the following description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is asectional elevation of my invention applied to a central buffer, showingthe buffer uncoupled from the draw-link; Fig. 2, a plan thereof partlyin section; Fig. 3, a detail view of the slide-link H; Fig. 4, an endelevation of the buffer bell-mouth, showing the stirrup O in position;Fig. 5, a plan of the end of the buffer-box when it is coupled to thebar 5 Fig. 6, a sectional elevation on the line a: 1 showing the ball incentral position.

In the figures, A is the central buffer, and B the buifer and draw-bar.This central buffor is provided with a stirrup O and a catch 0 or itsequivalent controlled by a spring D, whereby when the draw-link ispressed in between the stirrup and the buffer-head the draw-linkpressing against the stirrup will push back the catch 0 by engaging withthe inclined front face thereof, allowing the coupling-pin E to falldown through the link and through holes F in thebuffer-box above andbelow. The coupling-pin E passes through a sleeve G, cast in one withthe butter A or a separate part. Ithas a projecting arm 6, over which aslide-link H passes, which prevents the pin E from being drawn entirelyout and keeps the pin from turning, the back of the casting having aslot g, which enables the arm to slide down to the bottom. Other meansmay be used for preventing the pin from being drawn out or turning, suchas a featherkey on the pin itself ora projection in a groove comingagainst an abutment.

The coupling-pin E is raised, when required, by means of a pivoted lever1, having a horizontal crossbar I thereon, which when raised inuncoupling two vehicles comes in contact with the projecting arm c andlifts the coupling-pin E out of engagement with the drawlink. The leverdrops down when the force which lifted it from either side of the ourriage is removed, leaving the coupling-pin E raised so that the link isfree. The arm 6 may have notches, as shown, in its lower side, whichwhen the lever I is raised to its extreme upward position engage withthe crossbar I and thereby holds the pin E in its raised positionindependently of the action of the spring-catch. Thus in shuntingoperations, when it is not desired to automatically couple up, the leverI can be made to engage one of these notches in the arm a and so holdthe pin permanently raised. Ordinarily, however, the lever would beraised only high enough to allow the spring-catch to act and would notengage with said notches. If preferred, the horizontal cross-bar I mayengage a slot in the arm e. One advantage of this arrangement is that itprovides another simple expedient for preventing the pin E from turningand dispenses with the necessity of using the slide-link H and slot J isa pivot which couples the buffer-box to the bar 15, the former beingthus not rigidly united to thelatter, but is capable of turning on itsaxis to facilitate the buffers of adjacent carriages remaining in linewhen the carriages are on a curve. The end of the bar 13 abuts against asolid abutment N on the buffer-head A, so that the entire pressure onthe buffer is received by the end of the bar B instead of on its pivotJ. An arrangement is provided for causing the buffer A to resume aposition in line with the bar B when the vehicle is detached or whentraveling in a straight line. This arrangement consists in providing inthe end of the bar a spring m, pressing on ball K, engaging a depressionL in the buffer-box A. It is so arranged that when the spring and ballengage the depression in the buffer box or head the latter will be heldin line with the bar, and by exerting a little force the buffer-head canbe turned to one side or the other, but it will at once resume itsposition when the force that turned it laterally is removed.

It is obvious that the bar B may engage a jaw on the buffer-head A orthe buffer-head may engage a jaw in the bar and the springstud bearranged either on the bar or in the buffer-head, as the case may be,either arrangement being a mechanical equivalent of the other.

The mode of action of the coupling-link E itself is as follows: lV hentwo vehicles come together, the draw-link E automatically enters thebell-mouth of the central buffer and is guided by the sloping sides andby the stirrup G into the eXact position for the pin E to fall. The linkpushing back the stirrup O, which in its turn pushes back thespringcatch 0 from engagement with the shoulder e on the carriagescoming together, leaves the pin E free to fall through the link E andthus fastens the buffers. The moment, however, the pin E is raised fromthe link and the two carriages are separated the spring-catch c fliesinto position engaging the shoulder on the pin and prevents the pin Efrom again falling into the buffer until this or another link is againinserted, when the weight of the pin E on the pushing back of the catch0 by the link causes the said pin E to fall and lock the coupling-link.erence so arranged that the coupling-link is held in a horizontal lineby means of a flat horizontal seat on the buffer-head and the stirrupand catch holding the link down on said seat, so that when two buffersare brought to gether the couplin g-link of one buffer will approach thebell-mouth of the other buffer horizontally, as depicted in Fig. 1, and,furthermore, the buffer being bell-mouthed and the pin being held whenin the uncoupled po sition behind or protected by this bell-mouth orflaring front insures the link entering it, even if one buffer is on alower plane than the adjacent buffer due to the vehicles being unequallyloaded.

It must be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to anyspecial arrangement for lifting the pin E, as any suitable mechanism maybe used for this purpose. The arrangement hereinbefore described forlifting The apparatus is by prefit is merely set forth as an example.The stirrup O'may, if desired, be dispensed with. in which case thespring-catch is arranged in such a position that the coupling-link onentering a buffer shall strike the catch direct and slide it back fromengagement with the pin, while the moment the pin is raised from thelink and the two carriages are separated the spring-catch flies intoposition, engaging the shoulder on the pin and preventing the pin fromagain falling into the buffer until it or another link is againinserted, when the weight of the pin on the pushing back of the catch bythe link causes the said pin to fall and lock the coupling-link.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car-coupling, the combination with thelink and pin, of a buffer-head having a flat horizontal seat for thelink, a spring-actuated catch slidingin said head and forming a supportfor the pin and a stirrup pivoted in the head and engaging with the linkand with the inclined face of the catch, whereby it simultaneouslypushes back the catch so as to release the pin, and presses the linkagainst its horizontal seat, so as to hold said link in a horizontalposition.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination with the link of a pin having arearwardly-extending notched arm, a buffer-head, a spring-actuated catchsliding in said head and forming a support for the pin and a stirruppivoted in the head and engaging with the link and with the inclinedface of the catch, whereby it simultaneously pushes back the catch so asto release the pin, and presses the link against its horizontal seat, soas to hold said link in a horizontal position and an actuating-armadapted to engage with the notched arm on the pin, and to catch in thenotch therein.

3. In a central buffer, the combination or the draw-bar, the bulfer-head pivoted thereto and having a depression, a ball engaging insaid depression, and a spring bearing freely against said ball andagainst the draw-bar.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence or two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. JOHNSTON.

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